Linda Hamilton Biography & Net Worth

Linda Hamilton Biography & Net Worth

Linda Hamilton is a seasoned American actress best known for her portrayal of ‘Sarah Connor’ in the American action flick ‘The Terminator’ and also in its sequel ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’. She is also known for her role as ‘Catherine Chandler’ in the TV series ‘Beauty and the Beast’. Thanks to her hoarse voice, she often plays tough characters in movies wherein she is subjected to difficult circumstances and misfortunes before emerging victorious. Linda is considered to be one of the first female action heroes of the film industry and has earned the tag ‘Body of the Nineties,’ courtesy of her toned physique. Born into a regular family in Salisbury, Maryland, in the United States, Linda grew up to enroll in acting classes in New York City and also attended workshops organized by director Lee Strasberg. She started her acting career in television and gradually moved on to films. Her major breakthrough happened in 1984 when she was hired to play the role of ‘Sarah Connor’ in the blockbuster ‘The Terminator’ alongside American actor and former gymnast Arnold Schwarzenegger. She then went on to play many other roles in television films and television series. Linda once admitted in a talk show interview that she suffered from Bipolar Disorder which contributed to her divorce from her first husband Bruce Abbot. She later married renowned director James Cameron, but her second marriage also ended in failure. Let’s walk through Linda Hamilton’s biography, success story, net worth, and more interesting stuff using this article.

Linda Hamilton’s Early Life & Education

She was born in Salisbury, Maryland, the United States on 26 September 1956. Her father, Carroll Stanford Hamilton, worked as a medical doctor. Linda was only five years old when her father died, and her mother married a police officer soon after.

Linda is an identical twin sister of Leslie Hamilton. Their other siblings are their younger brother and an older sister who are both famous in Holly wood as well.

Growing up, she attended Wicomico Junior High School in Salisbury and later attended Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland for a few years after which she moved to New York City to take acting lessons and also attend workshops hosted by Lee Strasberg.

Acting Career & Success

Hamilton started her career as a television actress before finding her feet in films. Following some initial smaller roles, she landed a noteworthy role in CBS’s soap opera ‘Secrets of Midland Heights’ which aired from December 1980 to January 1981. In 1982, she made her maiden film appearance in the thriller ‘TAG: The Assassination Game’, after which she appeared in the CBS tele-film ‘Country Gold.’

In 1984, she played the main role in the American horror flick ‘Children of the Corn.’ Although widely criticized by critics, the film made massive profits at the box office. The same year, she appeared alongside Michael Biehn in the action film ‘The Terminator’ (1984), which turned out to be her career’s most important role. The film was critically acclaimed and ended up a huge box office success.

In 1986, she appeared in the action film ‘Black Moon Rising’ along with Tommy Lee Jones. Soon after, she made a guest appearance in the crime drama series ‘Murder, She Wrote.’

The following year, she played another important role in the fantasy-drama series ‘Beauty and the Beast’, starring opposite Ron Perlman. Her performance in the television series earned her nominations for both the Emmy and Golden Globe Awards. She continued playing the role in the series till 1989.

In 1990, she was seen in the fantasy comedy movie ‘Mr. Destiny.’ In the next year, she reprised her role in ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ which just like its prequel, ‘Terminator’, turned out to be a big commercial success. For her role in the movie, she did intense physical exercises to emphasize her character’s evolution. Her identical twin sister Leslie played her body double.

After ‘Terminator 2,’ she reprised her role as ‘Sarah Connor’ for the theme park version ‘T2 3-D.’ She also hosted ‘Saturday Night Live’ while taking advantage of the success and fame the ‘Terminator’ film series had given her.

Linda Hamilton’s next notable role was in the 1995 movie ‘A Mother’s Prayer’. In the film, she acted as a sick woman diagnosed with AIDS who is obliged to make arrangements for the welfare of her only child. Her performance in this movie was greatly applauded by her audience, and it also earned her a Golden Globe nomination.

In 1997, she appeared in two movies, namely ‘Dante’s Peak’ and ‘Shadow Conspiracy’. Though the latter was a box office failure, the former, which starred Pierce Brosnan, recorded commercial success. Thereafter, she starred in telefilms like ‘Robots Rising’ and ‘On the Line’, and in other television shows like ‘Frasier’. She also co-starred in the 2005 drama ‘Missing in America’ with Ron Perlman.

The year 2009 presented more opportunities for Linda as she voiced ‘Sarah Connor’ in the sci-Fi war film ‘Terminator Salvation’. The following year, she made frequent appearances as ‘Mary Elizabeth Bartowski’ in the action-comedy/drama series ‘Chuck’. She also made a cameo appearance in Showtime’s dark comedy-drama television series ‘Weeds.’

In 2011, Linda narrated a horror documentary, ‘The Future of Fear’ for the Chiller channel. She also played outstanding cameo roles in the American science fiction western drama TV series ‘Defiance’ and the Canadian supernatural drama TV series ‘Lost Girl’.

In 2019, voiced the character ‘Sarah Connor’ in a video game titled ‘Gears 5’, and also reprised the role ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’ (2019).

Top Films & Shows

From a broad list of over 90 movies and television series, we’ve picked out the following as some of the best projects of Linda Hamilton’s acting career:

Awards & Achievements

Even though her only ‘major work’ in the film industry is her portrayal of ‘Sarah Connor’ in the widely successful and critically acclaimed action film ‘Terminator’ and the rest of its sequels,  Linda Hamilton has also given her best performances in a number of other movies and series worthy to be mentioned. Her remarkable acting skills as well as her physical abilities have helped her register herself as a famous and strong Hollywood actress. She has also earned many award winnings and nominations for her works as well.

Linda was included among the twelve ‘Promising New Actors of 1982’ in John Willis’ Screen World. In 1990, she was listed by People Magazine as one of the Fifty Most Beautiful People in the world. Two years after that, she was recognized with two MTV Movie Awards for her performance in the 1992 movie ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’.

Her performance in the 1995 film ‘A Mother’s Prayer’ won her a CableACE Award, and also helped her earn a Golden Globe nomination in 1996.

Linda collected a Blockbuster Entertainment Award in 1998 for her performance in ‘Dante’s Peak’. She won a Golden Satellite Award for the film ‘The Color of Courage’ in 2000, and won the DVD Exclusive Award in 2001 for her role in ‘Skeletons in the Closet’.

Personal Life & Family

Her glorious professional life aside, Linda Hamilton, just like every other human being, has a private side to her life.

She was married to Bruce Abbott from 1982 until they separated in 1989 while she was pregnant with her first son Dalton. In 1991, she started living with Hollywood director James Cameron. They had a daughter Josephine in 1993, and tied the knot in 1997. However, their marriage ended within two years in a $50 million divorce settlement.

In October 2005 on ‘Larry King Live,’ Linda admitted to having suffered from bipolar disorder. She claimed this was responsible for the failure of her first marriage with Bruce Abbott.

During the filming of ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day,’ the actress fired a gun inside an elevator without using earplugs and suffered irreversible ear damage.

Linda Hamilton Net Worth

Strong, talented, and widely known for her toned physique, Linda Hamilton has been a significant part of many action and science fiction films as well as television series. A winner of several prestigious awards, the Salisbury-born film hero has managed to build a net worth of $70 million from her successful career as a highly respected and decorated actress.